US1284172A - Printer's-roller composition. - Google Patents

Description

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PRINTERS-ROLLER COMPOSITION.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed August 2, 1918. Serial No. 248,077.

(DEDICATED TO THE PUBLIC.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. BAssEoHns, a citizen of the United States and an employee of the Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, lately an employee of the Government Printing Oflice, :1 legal resident of the State of New York, residingin the city of lVashington, 1n the District of Columbia (whose post-ofiice address is 2305 18th St, N. have invented a new and useful Printers-Boller Composition, and have made applicatlon by petition of even date herewith under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat, (325), praying that Letters Patent therefor may be ranted to me.

The invention herein described and claimed maybe used by the Government of the United States or by any of its oflicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the United States, or by any person in the United'States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

The following is a specification of my invention:

The objectof my invention is the production of a recasting printers roller containing molasses, which partly or wholly displaces 'the expensive glycerin usually employed in the manufacture of such rollers.

My invention is based upon the fact, discovered by me, that rollers made with canesugar molasses do not remelt (and therefore cannot be recast) because of the presence of monosaccharids in such molasses.

My composition consists of a mixture of glue. water, beet molasses (or a syrup containing only small amounts of monosaccharids) without or with glycerin, resins, varnishes and oils or solutions thereof.

One of the earliest printers roller compositions consisted of a mixture of glue and molasses. The directions for making such rollers always emphasized the necessity of using the best molasses available. This meant the use of a cane-sugar molasses or usually cane-sugar refiners syrup. The beet-sugar industry had not then been developed sufiiciently to be of any practical importance. Beet molasses was therefore comparatively unknown, and if known its disagreeable taste and appearance compared with refiners syrup would have aroused prejudice against its use. Even at present refiners (cane-sugar) syrup is exclusively used for roller. making and thesole use of beet-sugar molasses in the United States is for cattle feed. In Europe beet-sugar molasses is also used as a source for the manufacture of grain alcohol.

The glue-molasses roller was fairly satisfactory, except for a tendency of the roller to become somewhat dry after prolonged use and also that the roller would not remelt and recast after the expiration of a period of a month to three months depending on the manner and condition of its use.

Later glycerin was incorporated into the roller composition and so made it more re silient and capable of retaining moisture.

The printers roller at this time, therefore, consisted essentially of a mixture of glue, cane-sugar molasses and glycerin. Its only ob ection now'was, that it was non recastable. This objection became very important when the printer ceased to make his own rollers and bought or rented them from a roller making concern. It was very essential from the roller makers point of view that the roller discarded or returned by the printer should be recastable. This finally led to the elimination of molasses from the roller composition (not made by the printer himself) and its conse uent increase in price. My invention ma es possible the return to the cheaper molasses roller which is thus made adequate and suitable for present-day trade methods. It also makes practicable the conservation of the much needed glycerin.

The basis of my invention as stated above is the use of a noncrystallizable sugar syrup free from or containing only small amounts of the monosaccharids or reducing sugars. Cane sugar molasses, because of the nature of the sugar-cane juice, contains approximately 35% monosaccharids. I am aware of methods by which it is ossible to remove the monosaccharids fromt ecane-sugar molasses, but they are not practicable for the present purpose and would render the final product too expensive.

Beet-sugar molasses, because of the nature of the beet juice and of the process of beet sugar manufacture, is practically free from monosaccharids. The monosaccharid content of beet-sugar molasses varies from.

traces to 2%. The maximum figure is seldom reached. Beet-sugar molasses is therefore the ideal material for the purpose of the present invention.

Beet-sugar molasses like cane-sugar molasses, contains a variable amount, usually 10-15%, of salts of organic acids, the exact nature of which is not definitely known. These salts have a slightl alkaline reaction. Beet-molasses also contalns betain, a compound of slightly alkaline reaction. In preparing beet molasses for use as an ingredlent of roller composition, I prefer to decrease its alkalinity due to the above causes, by modifying the above compounds by the addition of a mineral acid. The procedure for modifying the beetmolasses is as follows: The molasses is diluted with about 50% of its weight of water.

One to two per cent. (on the weight of undiluted molasses) of commercial concentrated sulfuric acid is poured very slowly into about four times its weight of cold water, contained in an eartherware or other vessel not attacked by the acid, thoroughly stirred and allowed to cool. The perfectly cold diluted acid is added to. the cold d1- luted beet molasses and thoroughly stirred, with a wooden paddle in a wooden or earthenware vessel, for about 15 to 30 minutes, depending upon the quantity handled.

An aqueous suspension of powdered chalk or limestone is prepared by mixing 1 to 3% (on the weight of the undilutedbeet molasses to be treated) of dry, powdered chalk or limestone with sufiicient water tb make athin paste. This suspension is added to the beet molasses mixed with the acid in the acid resistant vessel and the whole thoroughly stirred until homogeneous. I then prefer to allow the mixture to stand uncovered over night to permit the total neutralization of the excess acid and the evolution of the carbon dioxid. The beet molasses treated as above canthen be transferred to a metal kettle and evaporated to its original concentration, '5. 6., a water content 0t 20%, and isready to be incorporated with the glue composition.

The procedure for making the roller composition is as follows: A convenient amount of glue is placed in a vessel with perforated bottom and immersed in a larger vessel of very cold water for 3 to 5 minutes, de-

pending on the amount of water it is desired to absorb, and then'taken out and allowed to drain. The glue is then placed in a container provided with a well fitting cover and allowed to remain over night in a cool place. This procedure permits the water to distribute itself uniformly through the mass of the glue.-

The water soaked glue obtained as indicated above is placed in a water jacketed kettle provided with stirrer and melted with the lowest possible heat.

' ers are emp When the glue has been thoroughly liquetied, the. beet molasses previously prepared and kept at a temperature of about 90 C.

F.) is added, and thoroughly incorporated. The glycerin is then addedand thoroughly incorporated. Finally the varnishes, oils, resins, etc, may be added. Aftor the mixture has become homogeneous and is judged to be ready for casting, the steam pressure in the jacket is raised until the temperature of 100 C. is reached. The composition is maintained at this temperature for 15 minutes, being stirred continuously and then allowed to run through a strainer into the casting kettle'from which it is forced by means of compressed air into the molds. V

The worn out rollers are thoroughly freed from ink, cut into small pieces, remelted, about 15% of new material incorporated and the composition is ready for recasting.

The following are two examples of compositions embodying the present invention:

1. Glue 30%, prepared beet molasses 35%,

glycerin 20%, water 15%.

water 15%, rosin oil varnish 5%.

These compositions containing beet molasses will remelt after being used for an indefinite period of time and under all the ordinary conditions of use. By varying the proportions of the above mentioned ingredients, rollers can be made adequate for all purposes for which the present glycerin rollloyed. The beet molasses roller besides the above advantages, is also cheaper than the cane-sugar -molasses roller, much cheaper than glycerin roller, contains less 'lue than an equally hard glycerin roller, has higher specific heat than glycerin composition, therefore retains its heat longer and thus facilitates the process of casting.

Although but two specific embodiments of this invention have been herein given, it will be understood that a great number of differprinters rollers, printing surfaces or similar purposes consisting largely of glue-and beetsugar molasses.

3. A composition of matter for the manufacture of recasting printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beetsugar molasses and glycerin.

4. A composltion of matter for the manufacture of recasting printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and fixed oils.

5. A composition of matter for the manufacture of recasting printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and varnishes. 6. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and resins.

7. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses and solutions of resins in their suitable solvents.

8. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses, glycerin and fixed oils.

9. A composition of matter for the manufacture of printers rollers comprising in combination glue, beet-sugar molasses, glycerin and solutions of resins.

Signed at Washington, D. 0., this 31st day of July, 1918.

JOSEPH L. BASSECHES.

Witnesses: